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Our Partners
Delivering Results, Not Theories.
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RANDY O'CONNOR | Chair
Randy O'Connor is the Chair and Managing Partner of Insurex. His career spans more than 30 years across consulting, insurance operations, wealth management, and financial services, with a focus on strategic planning, enterprise risk management, capital strategy, and digital transformation. Randy began his career as a Principal at Tillinghast-Towers Perrin (now WTW), leading North American practice development for the firm’s Integrated Risk and Capital Management group and helping build out its capabilities in enterprise risk management, capital optimization, and asset-liability management. He spent nearly two decades at M Financial Holdings, one of the largest life insurance distribution organizations in the U.S., serving as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer while also leading M Holdings Securities, the company’s Broker/Dealer and RIA, as President and CEO. He also served as Chief Risk Officer, building the company’s enterprise risk management framework. During his tenure, annual first-year premiums grew from roughly $100 million to $1.8 billion, the Broker/Dealer and RIA grew from $25 million to more than $100 million in revenue with assets under management reaching approximately $40 billion, and he helped distribute more than $1 billion of value to M Financial’s owners. In 2020, Randy co-founded Origin8cares, an AI-driven life insurance distribution platform for the middle market, where he served as CEO. The company’s AI and machine learning platforms cut customer acquisition costs by more than 70 percent, from $1,800 to under $500, while increasing sales conversion and advisor retention by 50 percent. He led the company through its sale in December 2025. Today, Randy advises insurance carriers, private equity firms, and InsurTech companies on digital transformation and AI implementation. He also teaches as an Adjunct Faculty Member at Portland State University’s School of Business Administration, serves on the boards of Bridge Financial, Gideon Strategic Partners, M Benefit Solutions, and M Life Insurance Company, and is Chair of the Board of Trustees and Interim President of the Oregon College of Art and Craft. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries, and holds graduate and undergraduate degrees from Northwestern University.
DAVE ANDERSON | Partner
Dave Anderson is an Adjunct Professor and Executive in Residence at Queens University’s McColl School of Business in Charlotte, where he teaches Leadership and Management and serves as a resource to the school’s Dean. He has been a member of the McColl School’s Board of Advisors since 2014. At Insurex, Dave focuses on business strategy, organizational design, operations, and IT engagements, and brings experience working with M&A, primarily on the sell side. Dave spent 27 years at Thrivent Financial, where he rose to Senior Vice President and drove the transformation of the company’s operations organization - the role that first shaped his conviction that ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary things when aligned around a compelling vision. From there, he became President, CEO, and Chairman of TIAA Life Insurance Company, where he delivered record premium growth for three consecutive years. He went on to serve as President and CEO of InsPro Technologies, an insurance administration platform provider that had been unprofitable for nine years before he arrived - Dave turned an operating profit in each of his five quarters there. As President and CEO of Merit Life, he succeeded the company’s founder, redirected its strategy, rebuilt the leadership team, and repositioned the organization for market entry. Most recently, as Interim CEO of Andesa Services, a software provider to the life insurance industry, he facilitated record profitability during his time as CEO and led the process resulting in the sale of the company. Dave is a past member of LIMRA and ACLI and has served on the board of The American College. He holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. He grew up on a farm in rural North Dakota - an upbringing that, by his own account, taught him what hard work actually looks like and that egos need to be checked at the door. It’s a mindset he brings to every engagement at Insurex.
RON COLBY | Founding Partner
Ron Colby is a Founding Partner of Insurex, where he has advised insurance and financial services CEOs and boards since 2018. He brings a career built across both the life insurance and health insurance sectors, with a particular strength in healthcare consulting, operations management, and navigating health care reform. Ron spent 12 years in executive roles at Lincoln Financial Group before moving to UnitedHealth Group, where he spent 15 years in senior executive leadership, including serving as Chief Executive Officer of UnitedHealth Group Specialized Care Services, Chief Executive Officer of UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company, and Senior Vice President of UnitedHealthcare Product Management - helping lead the organization’s growth into one of the largest companies in health care. Ron is a former Board Member of the Health Insurance Association of America (HIAA), a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries. He holds the Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) designation and a BA in Actuarial Mathematics from the University of Michigan.
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SUSAN M. COOPER | Partner
Susan M. Cooper is a Partner at Insurex with more than 40 years of experience in financial services and insurance. Her career has been defined by a passion for empowering others to reach their highest potential and a proven track record of building successful distribution organizations from the ground up. Susan began her career as a Financial Advisor at AXA Advisors, formerly Equitable Life Insurance Company, where she spent 25 years advancing from sales management to Regional Vice President and ultimately Executive Vice President of the company’s largest agency in New York City, overseeing more than 450 advisors and staff. She went on to serve as Managing Partner of Empire Wealth Strategies, the New York City agency of HTK Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company, where her leadership led the agency to win the company’s top honor - the Chairman’s Award - in both 2010 and 2011, placing first in the country both years. Most recently, Susan served as Managing Director of Prudential’s Greater New Jersey Financial Group from 2017 through 2024, where she recruited top financial advisors and helped them grow their practices in a mission-driven organization focused on representing the diverse communities it serves. At Insurex, Susan specializes in business development, working with client organizations ranging from startups to large enterprises to accelerate growth and drive long-term, sustainable results. Peers and clients call on her for her ability to identify the right growth levers, build the right teams, and help organizations move faster than they thought they could. Susan has served on the Board of Trustees for The American College of Financial Services since 2008 and is a member of LIMRA’s Research Agencies Group. She is an active member of WIFS, GAMA, AALU, and NAIFA, and supports numerous charitable organizations including the United Way, UJA Federation of New York, The American Cancer Society, and the USO. She has earned the GAMA International Management Award and the GAMA-LAMP Award. Susan holds the CFP®, CLU®, ChFC®, CAP®, and RICP® designations, a Master of Science in Management from The American College of Financial Services, and a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Keene State College.
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MIKE COREY | Founding Partner
Mike Corey is Senior Managing Partner of Corey Search Group and MJC Ventures. Corey was previously the Head of US Operations for Caldwell partners and the Insurance Practice for Heidrick & Struggles, Vice Chairman and Global Financial Services Practice Leader for Hudson, Global Head of Business Development and Leader of Financial Services Practice Leader for TMP Worldwide (Parent of Monster.com), Global Financial Services Head for Lamalie and Associates, Founding Partner of NxtStar Ventures, Member of Irish Life Board of Trustees, and Member of Irish Life Assurance Board of Trustees. Corey is a Member of the American College Foundation Board of Trustees, Founder and Director of Funding for the American College Veterans Center Clambake, and Trustee Emeritus of The Actuarial Foundation Board. Previously, Corey was a Member of The American College of Financial Services Board of Trustees, and Member of Actuarial Foundation Board of Trustees. Corey holds a B.A. degree from Northern Illinois University.
FRED JONSKE | Founding Partner
Fred Jonske is the Founding Managing Partner and previous Chair of Insurex and the founder of FHJ Capital Partners. Over four decades at the highest levels of the insurance industry, he has operated on a simple belief: the best leaders don’t just run organizations - they build teams that achieve more than they thought possible. That conviction shows up consistently across his career. At Allstate Life Insurance Company, he served as Vice President and created innovative products built specifically around the Allstate multi-line agent. While at Allstate, he went on to serve as President of Lincoln Benefit Life, where he transformed the company into a major brokerage carrier, and then President of Surety Life Insurance Company, where he integrated Surety’s multi-level distribution model with Lincoln Benefit Life’s brokerage approach to create complementary product lines accessible across both companies. From there, Fred spent 25 years as President and CEO of M Financial, guiding the company through a complex shift from a partnership-owned structure to a member-firm-owned holding company and building it into the nation’s premier financial services design and distribution company for the ultra-affluent and corporate life insurance markets. Under Fred’s leadership, M Financial creatively leveraged reinsurance to benefit M’s firms, carrier partners, and its clients. At Insurex, he advises clients on their overall strategy including market selection, product offering, distribution approach, and partnership development - drawing on the kind of relationships and hard-won perspective that come from running major organizations for most of his career. His focus areas include life insurance, annuities, and the growing role of AI in transforming how insurance companies serve their clients. Fred has been named to Insurance Newscast’s “100 Most Powerful People in the Insurance Industry - North America” for eight consecutive years, from 2004 to 2011, and is a recipient of The American College’s Huebner Gold Medal for his contributions to the College. He has served on the boards of the ACLI and The American College, been a member of FINSECA, and currently serves on the University of Portland Board of Regents and The American College of Financial Services President’s Advisory Council. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries, and holds A.B. and M.A. degrees in Mathematics from the University of Michigan.
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PETER LYNCH | Partner
Peter Lynch is a global insurance advisor with over 30+ years of experience in the insurance industry. His expertise includes strategic and global business development; product management; new product launch execution; and deep knowledge of sales, marketing, operations, finance and customer service. Lynch brings a key understanding of data and insights in the insurance workflow from marketing through claims. He has brokered key partnerships and acquisitions as well as developed a global network of insurance contacts. He has led high growth organizations throughout his career. In his most recent role Lynch was executive vice president at Transunion and led their global insurance product strategy. Previous roles included president of the LexisNexis Insurance Exchange as well as additional senior executive positions at LexisNexis Risk Solutions, ChoicePoint, AIG Technologies (AIGT), and Cover-All Technologies, all focused on insurance data, analytics and technology. In his role as advisor, Lynch has guided such companies such as MotorDNA, Urbanico, Blue Pond and Bridge My Return as they navigate delivering platforms and data to the market. Lynch holds a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and an MBA from the University of Houston, Bauer College of Business.
JIM MEEHAN | Partner
Since graduating from the Naval Academy in 1986 and launching a career in financial services, Jim Meehan has been passionate about the value of teaming with others to achieve common goals through building strong relationships. After 22 successful years with Creative Financial Group, Jim joined Penn Mutual in 2011 and was the Founder and original Managing Partner of 1847 Financial, based in Conshohocken, PA. At Insurex, Jim’s greatest contribution has been the relationships he has built over 35 years in financial services – specifically, bringing fintech startup clients to the firm. Jim’s area of expertise is leadership, shaped through agency management, distribution, leadership development, and a focus on vision over visibility. He has received recognition for several outstanding achievements, including the GAMA International Management Award and the prestigious Penn Mutual Chairman’s Award, and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, ThinkAdvisor, Forbes, Fortune, Bloomberg, and RIA Central Advisor Newsletter. Jim previously served as Chairman of the Board of The American College and The American College Center for Veterans Affairs, which partners with Penn Mutual to award scholarships to military veterans and their spouses pursuing careers in insurance and financial services. He continues to be an advocate of the College and its efforts to support veterans. He is a founding member of FINSECA, formerly known as the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting (AALU), and the General Agents and Managers Association (GAMA). Jim holds a Master of Science in Management (MSM) from The American College, earned in 2008. He is also a member of the Naval Academy Alumni Association, The Philadelphia Union League, and Stone Harbor Golf Club.
BUD SCHIFF | Founding Partner
Albert “Bud” Schiff is Managing Director and CEO of Alvarez & Marsal Executive Compensation and Benefits. Formerly, Schiff served as CEO of NYLEX Benefits, the executive benefits consulting arm of New York Life Insurance Company. Before that, he served as Senior Executive Vice President and a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York (MONY). Schiff has served in numerous insurance industry leadership roles, including: President of the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting (AALU), Chairman of the International Million Dollar Round Table Top of the Table, president, New York City Chapter of the Society of Financial Service Professionals. Schiff is a Life Trustee of The American College and served as Chairman of The American College Foundation Board of Directors. Schiff is a recipient of The American College Distinguished Alumni Award, a recipient of The American College Huebner Gold Medal and has testified in Congress as an expert numerous times before the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means Committees and before the U.S. Treasury and Internal Revenue Service on behalf of the life insurance industry. Mr. Schiff is a Captain, Supply Corps, U.S. Navy (Retired), is a member of the U.S. Navy Supply Corps Foundation Board and is a recipient of the U.S. Navy Supply Corps Distinguished Alumni Award. Schiff holds a BSBA degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and holds Pension Actuary (MSPA), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP), Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP), and Accredited Estate Planner (AEP) professional designations.
GABE SHAHEEN | Founding Partner
Gabe Shaheen is President, CEO, and Principal of GLS Capital Ventures, LLC. He brings a career built on strategic and operational judgment to his role at Insurex, where he draws on decades of executive leadership and board experience to advise on corporate strategy and governance. Gabe began his executive career at Lincoln National, where he served as President and CEO of Lincoln National Life Insurance Company, Lincoln UK, and Lincoln Re. He went on to co-found NxtStar Ventures, LLC as a Founding Partner after launching GLS Capital Ventures. Across every business he has run, Gabe has delivered a consistent record: increasing sales, increasing operating income, and increasing return on equity in nearly every year, in every business. That track record has made him a sought-after voice in corporate governance, where he has served on the boards of M Financial Holdings, Steel Dynamics, Inc, and Doxa Insurance Holdings, and as Chairman of the Horace Mann Educators Corporation, a NYSE listed company that is the parent of the Horace Mann insurance companies. Peers and clients turn to Gabe most for his strategic and operational judgment – the ability to assess a business, identify what’s working and what isn’t, and chart a path to sustained, measurable growth. Gabe is a retired Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and Member of the American Academy of Actuaries, and holds B.A. and M.A.S. degrees from the University of Michigan.